


First Year at Kaijou

by minaring03



Series: Ki-chan no Volleyball [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Kise plays volleyball, No Angst, Unless you count brief mentions of like basketball trauma and one serious conversation as angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:40:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26727571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minaring03/pseuds/minaring03
Summary: Kimiko and Ryouta enter Kaijou High School! They play volleyball, go through first year exams, meet some old friends, and have a serious talk.
Series: Ki-chan no Volleyball [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945210
Kudos: 2





	1. First day at Kaijou

**Author's Note:**

> Kimiko and Ryouta's first day in high school consists of, as one might expect, volleyball. Kaijou High's volleyball club is introduced, and so are the new recruits!

Two figures stand in front of a large set of sliding doors. With a deep breath, they push the door open, garnering the attention of a student standing just behind the door. Everyone else’s attention is on the two students who seem to be having a verbal argument in the middle of the gym.

“Guys, we have visitors!” Immediately, the two boys stop arguing, and Kimiko and Ryouta find themselves the subject of the Kaijou Volleyball Club’s attention.

Kimiko shifts uncomfortably, but Ryouta smiles and calls out a bright “ _Konnichiwa_! We’re here to join the volleyball team!”

“Oh, it’s the two of you! I remember you from our open house! Do you have your application forms?”

They hand the sheets of paper over to the student, who gave a nod. “Everything looks okay.” He gives a nervous smile at the two of them, stuttering slightly as he says, “W-Welcome to the Kaijou Volleyball Club. I’m the Captain, Kasamatsu Yukio. I’m a setter.”

Another boy laughs. “Don’t mind Kasamatsu. He’s just really bad with girls, can’t speak to them without stuttering. Once he gets used to you, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He gives the both of them a smirk. “Moriyama Yoshitaka. I’m a third year, wing spiker.”

“I’m Shouji Takeshi! I’m the second-year libero! And that _boke_ over there is our middle blocker and pinch server, Shittykawa Hisayuki.”

“It’s Yoshikawa, _baka_! Wait till I get my hands on you – ”

“Ignore them. They may not act like it, but they’re best friends.” This student smiles at them. “I’m Kobori Kouji, third year. I’m a middle blocker.”

“And our ace!” Another student adds with a grin. Ignoring Kouji’s embarrassed cry of “Koya!”, he grins and says, “I’m Koyanagi Tanosuke. I’m a second year, setter and pinch server.”

“He’s also a genius at making plays, so he’s our manager.” Kouji grins.

“I’m Hayakawa Mitsuhi[r]o. I’m a wing spike[r]!” Another boy booms.

Kimiko stares and mumbles, “Huh?”

“Don’t mind Hayakawa. He always mixes up his ‘R’ and ’L’ pronunciation, and he omits some syllables. You’ll get used to it after a while.” The last member, a smiling boy with ash-grey hair, introduces himself. “I’m Nakamura Shinya, second-year wing spiker. Welcome to the Kaijou Volleyball Club.”

Getting over his shock, Ryouta smiles and says, “I’m Kise Ryouta. I’m a middle blocker. And this is Ki-chan – ”

“Kitawara Kimiko. I’m a setter primarily, but I sometimes play wing spiker.”

“Since you two are here already, why don’t we play three-on-three to see how good the two of you are?” Yoshitaka suggests.

Kimiko and Ryouta share a look and grin.

\---------------------------------

“You two are crazy good! What middle school did you come from?” Takeshi cries as the match ends, the team with the first-years and Yukio winning by a four-point margin.

“We didn’t play volleyball in middle school.” Ryouta mumbles darkly. “They wouldn’t allow Ki-chan on as a player.” The rest of the club stop in surprise. “Ki-chan and I have been playing since we were six. Even though we weren’t in the volleyball club, we played with and against the neighbourhood volleyball association, so I guess we aren’t too rusty.” Kimiko intervenes.

“You both call each other Ki-chan? Isn’t that confusing?” Shinji asks curiously.

“Tell that to Ki-chan’s four-year-old self. He thought it was cool.”

“It still is!”

\---------------------------------

Two weeks later, two more first years join the club. Tsukiyama Hachiro is loud and boisterous in a way that reminds Kimiko of Ryouta, and in the same way Ryouta looks out for her, Hachiro looks out for the last first-year, Takahashi Hiroaki, a mousey boy who hides behind his friend and looks terrified for the entirety of their first meeting. Hachiro is a wing spiker, and Hiroaki is a beginner player who just followed along with Hachiro. Yukio makes him a pinch server for the time being, until he finds his own play style and comfort zone.

The day Hachiro and Hiroaki of them join the club, Yukio treats the team to pork buns from the convenience store down the street from their school. “It’s tradition,” he explains, “for the captain to treat the team to pork buns when the new first years join. The captain who graduated last year, Yamaguchi Tadashi, used to treat the first years to pork buns whenever training ran especially late, and I heard that _his_ captain, Sawamura Daichi, would treat them to pork buns whenever they felt like eating it.”

Upon hearing Yamaguchi Tadashi’s name, Kimiko’s eyes practically sparkle. “Yamaguchi-san! I really love his jump float serves. They’re so precise, and so hard to catch, and I’ve been trying to copy it for so long, but I still can’t get it down.”

Yoshitaka, who is walking with them, laughs. “I didn’t know Kaijou was popular enough for our team to have fans outside of school.” Ryouta and Kimiko turn to him in unison.

“I really admire Hinata Shouyou – ”

“As a middle blocker, I think Tsukishima Kei is so cool – ”

“he jumps so much higher than everyone else – ”

“I can’t believe he is one of the only people to ever stop a shot from _the_ Ushijima Wakatoshi – ”

“and his hits are so fast and strong, and he’s always running about the court, yet he never seems to run out of energy – ”

“he’s really observant and can calculate the blocks down to the millisecond, I know because I watched it so many times – ”

“Also, have you _seen_ Kageyama Tobio’s _sets_ – ”

“they’re so precise, _oh my god_ , I wish I had that kind of precision – ”

The two of them stop their rambling when they hear laughter from their _senpai_ s. Yoshitaka wipes tears from his eyes and says, “I thought the two of you were volleyball prodigies who worked really hard, but now I know you two are just volleyball idiots.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

\---------------------------------


	2. Seirin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seirin High makes an appearance.

“Kise-san, look this way, please. That’s a great pose, one more and we’re done! Kitawara-san, please standby for your shots, after which we can take those of the two of you together.” The magazine director calls out.

Kimiko sits patiently as the stylist fusses over her, making sure the clasp in her hair is secured and her makeup is impeccable. She stands in front of the cameras, smiling and posing, showing off her long-sleeved ice-blue crop top and the latest pair of designer jeans from the brand she and Ryouta have been contracted with for the month. After their shoot, they get changed and wipe off the products on their faces. Picking up their bags, they leave the studio, stepping out into the streets of Tokyo. Spring is just about to turn into summer, and while it is still quite cool in the more rural area of Kanagawa, in busy, overcrowded Tokyo, the heat is enough that the both of them immediately start sweating even in their summer uniforms.

“Ne, ne, Ki-chan. Did you know Seirin High is nearby here?”

“Seirin?”

“The school Kurokocchi went to, of course! We should pay him a visit.”

Kimiko eyes Ryouta. “Sure, if you want. We have some time before we need to catch the train home.”

\---------------------------------

Kimiko seriously regrets her career as model when she steps through the gates of Seirin and the two of them are immediately accosted by excited fans asking for autographs. By the time they get to the doors of the gym, they had garnered quite the following.

A sudden delighted shout of “Kurokocchi!” from the boy next to her makes her instinctively grip her overexcited friend by the collar to stop him from engulfing the phantom in one of his hugs. When he glances down at her, she pointedly sweeps her eyes around them, indicating the number of items he still has to sign. With a sheepish grin directed at Tetsuya, he says, “Can you give us five minutes?”

Fifteen minutes later, they have finally managed to sign all the fan items and disperse almost the entire crowd, with a few stragglers lingering here and there. Without his fans keeping him in check, Ryouta lifts Tetsuya in an enthusiastic hug, only broken by Tetsuya’s strangled protest of “I can’t breathe, Kise-kun.”

Once again grabbing her best friend by his collar, Kimiko nods at Tetsuya. “Sorry for the intrusion, Kuroko-kun. Ki-chan and I had a shoot nearby, so we thought we’d drop by for a visit. I hope we didn’t interrupt anything important?”

“It’s alright, Kitawara-san. My coach just announced that we will be having a practice match against the basketball club in your school next week.”

“I see. Ki-chan and I haven’t checked out the club, but I wish you luck.” Kimiko said with a nod.

Before they can discuss anything further, a basketball comes flying at them from the side. Instinctively, Ryouta raises his hand and catches it just before it hits his face, before dropping the ball like he had been burned. Kimiko picks up the dropped ball and lobs it right back at the thrower, a tall boy with dark red hair. “Next time, before you throw a basketball at someone as a challenge, make sure that they actually want to play, or play basketball in the first place.” She informs the boy coolly.

“Who the heck are you?” The boy asks rudely.

Kimiko cocks her head at the question. “My name is Kitawara Kimiko, and this is Kise Ryouta. We’re Kuroko-san’s schoolmates from middle school.”

“Kise-kun was part of the Generation of Miracles, but he doesn’t play basketball anymore, Kagami-kun.” Tetsuya explains, “that’s why I told you it wouldn’t be possible to defeat the whole of the Generation of Miracles, only those who are active as of now.”

Ryouta shifts uncomfortably at the mention of the Miracles, but upon hearing the last part of Tetsuya’s sentence, he brightens. “I don’t play basketball anymore, but I wish you the best of luck in defeating the other schools!” he says brightly. ‘Kagami-kun’ and the rest of Tetsuya’s teammates gape at him. “If you don’t play basketball anymore, then what do you play?”

“Volleyball! Ki-chan and I attend Kaijou High School, which has a good volleyball team!”

“And what may your name be, ‘Kagami-kun’?” Kimiko asked before Tetsuya’s new teammates could question them further.

“Kagami Taiga.”

“Well, Kagami-san, I wish you luck in defeating the Generation of Miracles. Kuroko-kun is a good player and as long as you all play as a team, defeating the miracles is not impossible.”

“Thank you, I guess?”

\---------------------------------

As they are walking home from the train station, Kimiko voices out a question that has been in her head for the past few months. “Do you miss basketball?”

“Nope.”

“Really?”

“Why do you sound so sceptical?”

“Because even though you love volleyball more, basketball was a big part of your life for a while. It’s hard to imagine you being able to forget about it so quickly, especially considering that you still remember that time we played too roughly with that toy you liked and it broke.”

Ryouta splutters. “We promised to never bring that up!”

“Ah, _gomen_.”

His gaze softens. “I remember it, but I don’t miss it. Basketball was fun, but it wasn’t as fun as other things, because” here he smiled, “As long as I get to be with you, I’m happy.”

Kimiko chokes. “Don’t say it like that! It makes it sound wrong!”

Ryouta doesn’t answer.

“…I’m happy as long as I’m with you, too.”

\---------------------------------

“Kurokocchi! We’re here to bring you to the gym!” Ryouta calls out excitedly a week later, meeting the Seirin High Basketball Club at the gates of Kaijou High. Thankfully, they did not have volleyball training today. “Kuroko-kun, _ohayo_. Don’t listen to Ki-chan, he just wants a reason to watch your match later.” Kimiko says, earning a pout and crocodile tears from her blonde next to her. “Ki-chan, mean!” he wails.

Kimiko ignores his antics, merely giving him a deadpan look that has him sobering up immediately. He cheerfully swings an arm over her shoulders, fake sadness gone, and leads them to the gym where the Kaijou basketball club is setting up. With a wave, the two of them retreat to the viewing level of the gym, finding a place at the railings to watch the match.

Having been friends with Tetsuya for 2 years, they are not surprised when the light bluenette is able to slip under the radar of the opposing team and bypass their defence with ease. Instead, their focus is on the redhead who had thrown the basketball at Ryouta previously. “He’s good, but not good enough to defeat any of the miracles yet.” Ryouta observes as Taiga dunks the ball.

Kimiko hums in thought. “With practice, though, he should be able to.” She says, “maybe not by the upcoming tournament, but by the Winter Cup maybe. We should go and watch the matches then. I think they will be interesting.”

\---------------------------------


	3. Freak Quick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaijou has their first practice match, the new recruits get to know Kaijou's play style better, Kimiko and Ryouta make a new discovery, and Hinata and Kageyama make an appearance.

Their first practice match is against Hachioji High School, and while not a regular at Nationals, it has consistently ranked within the top eight in Kanagawa. For this match, Yukio chooses not to sub in any of the first years; instead, he tells them to watch how the team plays and to watch how the team interacts during a match.

He also gives them a sheet of paper with different hand signs drawn on it. “Not all setters are like Kageyama-senpai,” he says, “who’s able to make quick-second decisions on what kind of set he should make. So our team uses these hand signals for the others to know what kind of set the setter will be doing next.”

Hachioji uses their newest recruit, a first-year who is over two metres tall. He towers over their tallest player, Kouji, who is 1.92 metres, and has the power to match his intimidating figure. Hiroaki instinctively quivers and ducks behind Hachiro when they cross paths, but Kimiko is used to this situation and does not pay attention to him.

She is, after all, the only female in a male-dominated sport where height is fairly important. She cannot remember the last time she _did not_ have to break her neck to look up at other players.

Despite this obstacle in their way, Kaijou beats Hachioji set count 2-0, with a deuce in the second set which ran until Kaijou got their 2-point lead, 28 to 26. It is not an easy win, but their opponents _are_ one of the best in the prefecture _and_ rather blessed in the height department, so it is to be expected.

Still, Kimiko thinks that she will never get enough of seeing Yukio’s well-thought out plays and his accurate tosses – he does not have Kageyama Tobio’s god-like precision, but his sets are accurate and easy to hit. From the perspective of a setter, he is a role model. From the perspective of a wing spiker, he is a reliable teammate.

Kouji is worthy of the title “ace”. He is the tallest in the team and has a lot of power in the arm he uses to spike. Kimiko was sceptical at first, because despite his height, Kouji is actually rather skittish, especially compared to the flirtatious Yoshitaka and the strict Yukio, but she supposes one cannot judge a book by its cover.

Yoshitaka is rather… unique. Kimiko cannot think of any other word to describe it. His technique is so obscure that she and Ryouta share looks and agree to never attempt to recreate it. He uses a rare underhanded form for his serves, and he spikes in such a way that the ball does not turn in the air at all, making his shots very accurate. Shinya laughs at their shocked expressions. “Moriyama-senpai’s form and technique are really unorthodox, but that means that most, if not all of his shots get through and are unable to be stopped.” He explains.

They are on the bus back to school, and Kimiko and Ryouta have more or less internalised the different techniques and plays they saw during the match. Kimiko pesters Yukio for tips about setting, and while she feels a bit bad that she is bothering the third-year so much, she’s determined to not only get some tips about setting, but also get Yukio used to her presence. He no longer stutters while in her presence, though he does stiffen up slightly. Kimiko counts it as a win, especially since she and Ryouta have been purposely finding time to go talk to him during training.

\---------------------------------

It is during one of their practices that Kimiko and Ryouta realise that their long friendship and trust in each other have a great impact on their play. They realise it as they are practicing their individual skills – the second and third years have extra lessons, but the first years do not. Hachiro and Hiroaki choose to spend the time catching up on homework, but Kimiko and Ryouta decide to practice on the timing for her sets and Ryouta’s spikes.

Ryouta is a formidable blocker – his height already gives him an edge against shorter players, and two years of playing basketball and catching Tetsuya’s passes have strengthened his wrists, so that he almost always blocks the opponent’s attacks, or gets a one-touch. However, he has not had a lot of practice spiking, since he is usually on defence, and so tends to swing his arm down for a spike too early or too late. His eyes follow the ball, but “my arm doesn’t follow my brain!” he wails after his fifth failure to hit the ball.

Kimiko rolls her eyes, but says, “you need to trust that your teammates will get the ball to you, and all you need to do is hit it as hard as you can.” She tries to explain, because she is a setter first and a wing spiker second and does not really know how to explain that she just hits the ball when she sees it.

The next time she sets the ball to him, she watches in surprise as he smacks the ball down on the opposite court. She sees the ball leave her hands, and does not see it touch his, but it must have, because the next she sees of the ball, it is rolling away on the opposite side of the net. “I didn’t know my words would be so effective that you could immediately do it after.” She says dryly, only for her eyes to widen in shock when Hachiro, who has abandoned his homework – despite Hiroaki’s attempts – and was watching their practice, says with wide eyes, “Kise wasn’t watching the ball just now. His eyes were closed.”

“What.”

That is how their seniors find them – the four of them, gathered around the raised platform at one end of the gym where Hiroaki and Hachiro had been doing their work, Ryouta and Hachiro speaking excitedly at the tops of their voices. They are less surprised than Kimiko expects them to be, but Yukio decides to call up one of _his_ seniors, because according to him, “they are probably the only ones who can help you with _that_ kind of quick”.

And that is how Kimiko and Ryouta have their first face-to-face meeting with Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou. The next day, just as practice is about to begin, the doors slam open, and a head of orange hair flies towards Kasamatsu, yelling an excited, “ _Osu_! Kasamatsu, my favourite _kouhai_ , have you been kicking some butt for me?” the first years don’t even have time to react before a lower, more grumpy voice says, “Oi, Hinata, _boke_ , let Kasamatsu breathe.”

Kimiko thinks she is actually going to faint from excitement. Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou are _here, right in front of her eyes_ , and she is about to spontaneously combust. Yukio explains the situation to the Freak Duo of Kaijou, and they turn to Kimiko and Ryouta, Shouyou with a bright smile and Tobio with a glower. Shouyou “call me Hinata, or Hinata-senpai if you’re like Kasamatsu, and Kageyama doesn’t need the _-san_ either!” explains the quick with too many sound effects and “the ball leaves Bakageyama’s hands like _fwoom_ and swishes through the air like _swoosh,_ and then the ball goes _bam_ and its hitting the other side of the court like _bang_ – ” and nearby, some of the seniors and their fellow first-years looked confused, but she and Ryouta and Tobio are nodding along seriously, and she hears Yoshitaka mutter “I guess volleyball idiots really are on another level.”

Apparently, the quick she and Ryouta do is the same as the one Shouyou and Tobio did as first years, but they warn the two of them that the quick, while powerful and unstoppable at first, can become very easy to block and stop as time passes. The two of them show Kimiko and Ryouta their current quick, where Tobio sets the ball in such a way that the ball _stops_ at the spiker’s exact spiking point, and Kimiko will later deny that her eyes _sparkled_ in admiration.

Unfortunately, Tobio’s god-like accuracy is not something that most people have, and it is difficult for people to even attempt to imitate his style. But Kimiko is not anybody, and she is determined that, even if she does not have Tobio’s innate accuracy, she will practice until she can send the ball where she wants it, 100% of the time.

\---------------------------------

For once, Kimiko does not protest when Ryouta drags her out to the backyard to practice, even though there is a small stack of homework looming ominously on the coffee table. It is the largest amount of homework she has let sit since she started elementary school, and she knows she is going to be rushing her homework tonight with Ryouta, but she is excited to refine her sets.

Following Tobio’s advice, she places bottles at points where spikers are likely to be, changing it up every so often to ensure that she can set to her desired position. It takes her five hours of practice with gulps of water in between, and she is pretty sure her fingers are raw from where they have been rubbing over the volleyball, but she can hit the water bottles 70% of the time. Good enough to use in a match, sometimes, but not perfect. She decides that is enough progress for one day and decides that with this accuracy, she can practice with Ryouta, who has been patiently practicing his passes against the backyard wall.

The next morning, she and Ryouta oversleep and Reika has to come into their rooms to shake them awake, and they gulp down their breakfast and sprint to school just in time for morning practice. They are the last of the volleyball team to arrive, and the rest of the members look surprised, because the two of them are usually the first to arrive, but Coach Ukai brings their focus back to drills and physical training because “before you can play a match, you need to be able to last the match, so stamina is important”.

Morning practice usually consists of different drills to strengthen their individual skills, while afternoon practice is more focused on teamwork and the different synchronised attacks that the team uses during their matches. The members do not complain, mainly because Yukio is not impartial to kicking or punching anyone who complains, and also because they know it is important.

Just before they are dismissed for lessons, Takeda-sensei, their advisor, comes in bearing a large cardboard box. “I had to order some more because we didn’t have your sizes, but they came in this morning, and I thought you would like them as soon as possible.” He says with a smile. It is their Kaijou Volleyball Jacket, black with the words “Kaijou High Volleyball Club” written in kanji on the back. Kimiko takes it with barely concealed excitement. Ryouta laughs at her but she knows he is happy he is got his jacket too.

\---------------------------------

During lunch, they retreat – both out of habit and out of necessity – to the rooftop to eat their lunch in peace. It is the end of June, and they have been attending Kaijou for almost 3 months, but the students still find the idea of models attending their school novel and like to hang around the two of them frequently.

(For some reason, their fans never follow them up to the roof, and they are thankful for that.)

The inter-high prefectural preliminaries are coming up, and Coach Ukai has been training them more intensively in preparation for the upcoming season. Tanosuke has gone around during his spare time to observe the other schools, and sometimes gets to skip practice for it. He was not a starter the previous year and is not likely to be a starter for this year, and thus Coach Ukai allows him some leeway to go fish for information. Hiroaki and Hachiro are still not quite ready to be starters yet, and Coach Ukai has them practicing their serves in preparation for the pinch serves that might be required during the preliminaries.

Kimiko has finally perfected her sets. She is now able to set the volleyball from anywhere on the court to anywhere on the court, and she and Ryouta are an especially formidable force on the court. However, she will be playing wing spiker for the preliminaries, because Coach Ukai does not see a need to expose all their secrets when they are already a strong team even without her sets.

For the preliminaries, the starters will be Yukio as their setter, Kouji and Ryouta as middle blockers, and Mitsuhiro, Yoshitaka, and Kimiko as wing spikers. Takeshi, their libero, will also be a starter. The second-years who are not chosen to be starters take the addition of the two first-years to the starting line-up with good grace, since they know that Coach Ukai bases his choices off of ability and not seniority.

With them playing during the preliminaries confirmed, Kimiko and Ryouta throw themselves into practice and studies with equal vigour. Ryouta protests this at first – he would rather spend his time practicing. He shuts up when Kimiko reminds him that not passing his exams would mean being suspended from club activities until he starts passing all his subjects again. For students like them, who are frequently among the top of their cohort, dropping out of the top 5 positions would mean a lot of fuss over their ability to prioritise, and they do not want that. So he obediently does his homework and studies for midterms, and when those are over Kimiko allows herself to be dragged out to the backyard to practice every second of the day – at least when they’re not in school, then they spend every minute outside of lessons in the gym.

Two weeks later, they are standing outside the Yokohama Gymnasium, preparing for their first preliminary game. It is against Kirigaoka High School, which has a fairly-average volleyball team. Their opponents give their best, but Kaijou is not a regular at Nationals for nothing, and they win the match set count 2-0, 25-10, 25-12. Their second round is also fairly easy, against another fairly-average volleyball team, and they take this match set count 2-0, 25-12, 25-16 as well. They do not go easy on these teams, but they do not go all-out, either. After all, their third match of the day will require more effort.

It is against Ubugawa High School, and they are among Kanagawa’s Top 8 Volleyball Teams. Their specialty: jump serves.

\---------------------------------


	4. First Match of Preliminaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaijou has their first match of the Kanagawa Prefectural Preliminaries, and the first-years play their first official match.

As they line up before the game, Kimiko hops from one foot to another, uncharacteristically nervous. Ryouta has a steadying hand on her arm, and she can hear the whispers from the audience, asking what a girl is doing on the court as a player and not a manager. Those whispers, combined with her nerves, make her practically vibrate with energy.

“Ki-chan, calm down. You won’t be able to play your best if you’re nervous.” Ryouta points out. His reminder serves to soothe her ruffled feathers from the doubtful opinions of the audience but doesn’t really help with her nerves. “Ki-chan! I can’t help it! It’s my first time playing an official match since elementary school!” She whines quietly, but Yukio, who’s next to Ryouta, laughs and leans across the tall blonde to pat her head. At the back of her mind, she celebrates that _Kasamatsu-senpai is comfortable with me! Success!_ and raises her eyes to meet his.

“Think about the scariest experience you ever had,” Yukio suggests, “that’s what Hinata-senpai told us to do when we were nervous. I believe his exact words were ‘It’s your first game, so your hearts may be feeling bambambam, so try thinking about the scariest thing you can think of. Then your nerves will go poof, which is what happened to me!’” Yukio imitates Shouyou, waving his arms in an exaggerated manner.

His actions and words proved to be the key because Kimiko giggled. “I think that just washed away all my nerves, senpai,” She teases, “now every time I think of it, I will start laughing.”

“Good, because our game is about to start.”  
\---------------------------------  
Kaijou wins the coin toss, and they choose to serve first. Their first server is Yoshitaka, and thanks to his unorthodox serving, their opponents are unable to receive the ball, and it is a service ace.

Ryouta is next to serve, but Ubugawa manages to receive the ball, and they send it over the net. Kouji receives it, sending it to Yukio, who sets it to Mitsuhiro, who spikes it over the net. Ubugawa’s libero dives for the ball, sending it up and to their setter, who sets the ball over to their ace, who spikes it.

Ryouta is ready, though. Taking advantage of the few centimetres he has over their opponent, he jumps for the ball. “One-touch!” he shouts, as his fingers snap back from the force of the ball. Kouji dives for the ball, and Yukio sets it to her, and she spikes it across the net, breaking through Ubugawa’s defence and ending the rally to their benefit.

They win the first set, 25-16. “I can see why their specialty is jump serves, though.” She mumbles to Ryouta during the break, wincing as she remembers Takeshi diving for the ball and narrowly missing it as it slammed to the floor. “I feel like if it had a voice, the floor would be screaming from the impact.” Ryouta snorts at the image, choking on his water and coughing up a lung, as Yoshitaka, who was beside them, gives her a long stare of judgement. She shrugs and puts down her bottle to get ready for the next set.

For the second set, Ubugawa gets first serve, and she sees Takeshi just barely receive the ball and send it up, albeit slightly off. She passes the ball to Yukio, who sets it to Yoshitaka, and she watches with discreet fascination as he executes another of his unorthodox moves. According to the third-years, Ubugawa’s middle blocker is new, and while he has definitely seen and been warned about Yoshitaka’s unique skillset, he definitely has never experienced it before. The ball slams through Ubugawa’s block, and the ball falls on Ubugawa’s side of the net. 1-0, Kaijou’s serve.

Ubugawa seems to have upped their game since the first set: their spikes are stronger, their actions smoother and more precise. Maybe the first set was just warming up, Kimiko mused, as she watched Ubugawa’s ace smash the ball through Ryouta’s block, earning another point for his team.

16-14, their lead is getting smaller. She sees the looks the team throws each other, and she knows what they’re thinking. We will not let them close the gap any more than they already have. They take a time-out, as requested by Tanosuke, who has been watching the game intently on the sidelines. He gives them new instructions on how to stop their opponents and their plays, and they go back to the game with renewed vigour. They win the second set, 25-20, and thus win the game, set count 2-0.

They shake hands under the net, and trail off the court, just as the referee on the next court blows his whistle. Kimiko looks over and is not surprised by the result of the game.

Tomorrow, hey will be playing Date Tech High for the quarter finals.  
\---------------------------------  
Coach Ukai sends them all home, with orders to “Rest. We played three games today, and if you so much as touch a volleyball, I will bench you for the rest of the prelims. Understand? Go home, relax, and report tomorrow at nine for warmups and light practice, you brats.”

She doesn’t know how Coach Ukai will know if she touches a volleyball or not, but she sees the wisdom in his words, because she can feel her body protesting as she moves. Next to her, Ryouta is seemingly fine, and she grumbles, because _it’s unfair, Ki-chan doesn’t feel as tired because he’s been playing as a regular on the basketball team for two years while I’ve been playing light games with the neighbourhood association_. She doesn’t mention this out loud, though, because Ryouta’s eyes still darken at the mention of basketball, and she doesn’t want to ruin this important day, important period of time.

She and Ryouta usually walk home, stopping by the convenience store for snacks or ice cream. Today, though, she’s too tired, and Ryouta knows that, so they take the train home, which saves them thirty minutes of walking time and gets them home before the sun has fully set, instead of after.

Reika is home early today, and she’s cooking tonkatsu and tempura for dinner. After showering and changing into more comfortable loungewear, Kimiko comes into the kitchen and breathes in deeply, and immediately her stomach grumbles, making Reika and Ryouta laugh. She flushes slightly and opens the fridge to find a small pack of cookies. She holds it out for Ryouta to inspect, and he nods in assent.

The two of them sit together at the table and share the cookies between them, only stopping when Reika smacks the back of their heads gently and admonishes them for eating so much so close to dinner. “If you two eat anymore, you won’t have the appetite for dinner.” She says, and the two of them don’t argue, because it’s impossible to argue with Reika, who has honed her “disapproving mother” skills over the years.

Yukito is not home for dinner, and Yukina and Reina are back in Tokyo, where they are interning and going to college respectively, so it’s just the three of them. Kimiko tries really hard to stay awake, but her eyes keep closing and her head keeps jerking, so she eats as fast as she can before resting her head on Ryouta’s shoulder and closing her eyes for a nap. She would go to lie on the sofa, but it’s not good to lie down right after eating, so she settles for the next best option.

She’s shaken awake by Reika a while later to find that she’s been moved to the sofa, and Ryouta had also fallen asleep, head resting on hers. He’s currently blinking sleepily, eyes at half-mast, as Reika pulls the both of them up and instructs them to go to bed. “You two don’t want to wake up with stiff bodies, do you? Go to your beds and sleep!” And they do just that. She doesn’t bother changing out of her hoodie or sweatpants, choosing instead to fall into bed and sleep.  
\---------------------------------  
The next morning, she and Ryouta wake up at seven to eat breakfast and head to the station to meet the rest of the team. Coach Ukai will meet them at Yokohama Gymnasium at nine, so the team meets up at eight, dressed in black sweatpants, white shirts, and their team jacket. Since she and Ryouta have public images to protect, they had debated dressing up slightly this morning, but ultimately decided against it because it’s too troublesome to have to change into training-appropriate clothes once they get there.

They meet at the Gymnasium at nine and do their warmups and practice tosses and spikes before the game. Date Tech are on the other side of the net, doing the same thing, and also practicing their blocks. Kimiko and Ryouta help each other tape their wrists and fingers, because this is the Iron Wall, and they will need to use their wrists and fingers to help them gain points against them.

The horn sounds for the ten-minute warning, and they finish their preparations, putting down their water bottles and lining up. They shake hands, and the whistle blows.

Kaijou loses the coin toss, and Date Tech chooses to serve first.  
\---------------------------------


	5. New Outlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More matches, and Ryouta finally understands that Kaijou isn't Teikou.

_Date Tech has definitely improved from last season_ , Kimiko notes, as the first set finishes with Date Tech taking the set, 25-23. Based on the videos of their previous games that the team spent a whole night watching and her observations from the first set, their movements have become more coordinated from last season, and the Iron Wall is as impregnable as ever. Kimiko can feel her wrists aching from her spikes, and her hands are red from where they’ve impacted the ball again and again.

Before they go back onto the court, Coach Ukai gathers them together and gives them new instructions. “As expected from Date Tech, their defence is really good. But, it’s a bit lower than what it used to be, especially since this years’ players are not particularly tall, not like Aone Takanobu,” he says, “so pace yourselves, but jump as high as you can and hit the ball over. If you can’t hit the ball over, rebound it and try again. Kitawara and Kise, make sure you don’t run out of steam during this set, you’ll need it all for the last set. Kasamatsu and Moriyama, continue doing as you have, just keep your heads and we’ll be fine. Kobori and Shouji, make sure you receive as many of their spikes as you can. Hayakawa,” he looks at the second year, who’s all fired up and ready to go, “don’t burn yourself out during this set, or else you won’t have the energy to play the third set.” He says, and Mitsuhiro calms down slightly – though not by much – at his words. They troop back onto the court with renewed determination, and they take the second set, 25-22.

For the third set, they serve first, and since its Yoshitaka serving, they get a service ace. The game progresses at a normal pace, with neither side gaining much of a lead, and Kimiko can see them going into a deuce for this set. Eventually, their scores are tied 29-29, and Kouji smashes the ball through Date Tech’s block. 30-29.

Date Tech serves, and Takeshi receives it, sending it to Yukio, who set it to Ryouta for a spike. Date Tech’s libero received it, and they spiked it over the net, Takeshi just missing it as the ball slammed to the ground. 30-30.

Kimiko’s the next one to serve, and she does a jump serve, one she and Ryouta spent hours practicing, watching and rewatching videos of Oikawa Tooru and Kageyama Tobio to make sure their form was exactly the same. The ball slams down on the opposite side of the court, service ace. 31-30.

Ryouta is next to serve, and the following rally is one of the longest in preliminary history. For the next three minutes, the ball never touches the ground, and both teams fall into a rhythm of _receive, set, spike, repeat._ Kimiko receives, Yukio sets, Yoshitaka spikes. Date Tech does the same, and the ball comes back over. Takeshi receives, Yukio sets, Kouji spikes. And they cycle continues. Kimiko can feel her energy waning, and knows that sooner or later, someone is going to slip up. This has become a game of stamina and endurance.

Finally, a Date Tech player fumbles on a receive, and the ball is off. Date Tech’s setter sets the ball a bit too close to the net, not by much, but enough for Ryouta to see an opening, and for he and Kouji to set up the perfect block. The ball smacks against their hands, rebounding, and Kimiko watches as Date Tech’s players dive for the ball, just missing it as it falls to the ground in slow motion.

32-30. Kaijou advances to the semi-finals.

They still have training after school, because Shiratorizawa (expectedly) won their game against Aoba Johsai, and they aren’t a powerhouse school for nothing. Coach Ukai has them doing different drills until he’s satisfied, and then they play a few games against some alumni, Coach Ukai pointing out any tiny mistakes they make and ensuring their skills are top-notch. He shoos them out of the gym at 7pm sharp after two hours of them watching Shiratorizawa videos intently and taking note of important members and skill sets, and orders all of them to be ready for their game tomorrow. “Shiratorizawa is one of our biggest opponents,” he cautions, “and they have always been competing for the top spot with us. Even if they win tomorrow, remember that we are already guaranteed a spot in the prefectural qualifiers, and we have time to develop our different skills and take Shiratorizawa by surprise in the qualifiers.”

\---------------------------------

The game is close, and both teams give their all, but Shiratorizawa scrapes out a win in the last set, winning 33-31. Kimiko is disappointed, and Ryouta tears up, but their seniors gather everyone in for a group hug anyway and they smile like they didn’t just lose. She sees Ryouta’s look of confusion and knows that expression is mirrored on her face, because they’ve never had this experience before – losing and still celebrating. _This must be what it’s like to be in a team, and not just individuals in the same group,_ she thinks, taking in the big smiles on the seniors’ faces.

\---------------------------------

Ryouta catches Yukio alone after Coach Ukai dismisses them. As usual, Kimiko is with him, but she hangs back and lets Ryouta catch Yukio’s attention with a “Senpai, do you have a minute?”

Yukio takes one look at their faces and focuses his full attention on them. “What is it?”

Ryouta shifts awkwardly, but his curiosity wins over his unusual shyness and he blurts out “how come the team is so happy even though we lost?”

She watches Yukio frown slightly in confusion. “It’s not like we can change the result,” he says, slightly defensively, “is it that important that we win?” Ryouta becomes even more confused. “Isn’t it?”

Kimiko can see this conversation going two ways: one, both of them getting very confused and two, both of them getting angry. Neither are pleasant options, so she steps in before the situation can get worse. “Our middle school prioritised winning over everything, especially in sports,” she explains, “so losing or not meeting certain requirements meant getting punishments.”

Yukio raises his eyebrows, before he hums in understanding. “Teikou, I assume?” Both of them start and stare at their _senpai_ in surprise. He gives them a wry smile. “I may not be a basketball player, but I do keep up with high school sports, and I knew I recognised your name from somewhere. You are a member of the Generation of Miracles, aren’t you?” Ryouta flinches at the name, and Yukio notices this. With a sigh, he says, “come on, let’s go somewhere for dinner. My treat.”

\---------------------------------

Yukio takes them to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. “Their ramen is pretty good, and they don’t make my wallet cry out in pain,” he explains as he pushes the door open. The employees call out a cheerful “ _irrashaimase!”_ , and Yukio leads them to the ordering machine to place their orders before settling down at a table. As soon as they’re settled down, he asks, “why do you play volleyball?”

Kimiko and Ryouta blink in surprise. “Because it’s fun, and cool, and I love it,” Ryouta says slowly. Yukio nods. “And if you lose, will you love volleyball any less?” “Of course not,” Ryouta says, “It just makes me want to win the next time.” Yukio points triumphantly. “There you have it!” he exclaims, only for Ryouta to cock his head in confusion.

Yukio sighs. He opens his mouth to say something, but they are interrupted by a waitress bringing their food over. Once they’ve thanked the waitress, and mumbled their own “ _itadakimasu”_ , Yukio brings some of the noodles to his mouth, swallowing before saying, “Look, I don’t know what exactly went on at Teikou, but I have never agreed with their policy. Winning is not everything, especially if people only play to win.” Here he pauses to eat some more of his ramen, before continuing. “If you love the game, you will continue to play whether you win or lose, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Here, the only ‘punishments’ we ever have are the ones we do when we go for our summer training camp with a bunch of other schools. Those are just penalty drills we have to do for losing a practice match, and is meant to help us improve. I don’t know what they taught you at Teikou, but most of it doesn’t apply to Kaijou. We like to win, yes, but we also acknowledge that other schools also put in a lot of hard work and effort, just like us, and it’s really just a matter of how hard you work, as well as luck and experience that brings you higher. If we win, that’s great! We’re still not the best we can be yet, and we have to be even better the next time, so we can be the best version of ourselves. If we lose, then it just shows that the other team did better this time, so we must work even harder to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We learn from our mistakes, and we don’t make them again, and that’s how we improve.”

Yukio ends his (somewhat) motivational speech while Kimiko and Ryouta just stare at him in shock. He notices, and with a frown, asks, “What?” Kimiko shakes her head. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say, _senpai._ ” She says with a smile. Yukio grumbles at her. “Usually, I don’t have _kouhais_ who haven’t been taught properly about winning and losing,” he retorts.

Ryouta, who has been uncharacteristically quiet, pipes up. “So it doesn’t matter if you lose or win, because you still can gain something from it?” he confirms.

“Yep.”

“Ah… I see.”

Ryouta excuses himself to the restroom after he finishes eating, and Kimiko watches him go with thoughtful eyes. “ _Senpai_ , I think you gave him a lot to think about.”

“Did I? What exactly happened at Teikou, anyway?”

Kimiko looks at him, and decides to tell him. How Ryouta only joined the basketball team in his second year, how he was promoted to first-string in five weeks, and two weeks later to the regular line-up. How they got so good that other teams began to just give up in the middle of the game, so they had no challenge. How, as an incentive to encourage another teammate to come to practice, Seijuurou imposed a personal quota for each member – they had to score at least 20 points in each game. How it became more of a game amongst themselves than against their opponents.

“Ki-chan didn’t like it, because all the other miracles were focusing more on individual skills and less on teamwork. It got so bad that the offensive players – Aomine-san and Midorima-san – would refuse to pass, and insisted on doing everything themselves. It was less like a five on five, and more like five one on ones.” She said, “and Ki-chan didn’t like that. But I told him to play for the last winter cup – it would be the last of games he would play with the other miracles, and it seemed a little cruel to just drop out so close to the tournament.”

“Then Ki-chan got sick on the day of semi-finals and finals, so he didn’t play. But the tournament was broadcasted on live TV, and he turned it on just in time to see Teikou win, 111-11. They allowed the other team to score enough points so the final score would be funny for them. Ryouta quit after that.”

Yukio is angry, and it shows on his frown, but Kimiko sees Ryouta coming back from the restroom and hurriedly says, “Don’t mention any of this to Ki-chan. It makes him really depressed.” So Yukio doesn’t say anything and instead pulls out his wallet. When Ryouta tries to protest, saying that “Really, _senpai_ , I can pay,” he karate-chops Ryouta on the head and says, “listen to your _senpai_ , Kise.”

\---------------------------------

“What are you thinking about?”

“About how we’re going to beat Shiratorizawa at the qualifiers.” Ryouta answers quickly, too quickly. Kimiko looks at him from the corner of her eyes and decides to call his bluff. “Liar.”

Ryouta laughs softly. “I really can’t keep anything from you, Ki-chan.” He teases, and she only huffs, turning to look at him straight in the eye. He sighs. “I was thinking about how I wish Akashicchi and the others had a someone like Kasamatsu-senpai who would tell them these things.” Kimiko hummed thoughtfully. “It might seem harsh, but I don’t think even someone like Kasamatsu-senpai can get them to see the truth right now,” she offers, “because they expect victory, and see no problem with that. Which is why only Kuroko-kun’s method is going to work, because they will only get off their high horses if they taste defeat.” Ryouta frowns, but sees her point, and says no more about it. Instead, he asks, “When is Kurokocchi likely to go against the others?”

Kimiko hums in thought as they resumed walking. “At the Inter-High, maybe? That is, if they haven’t been knocked out in the prelims already. Should I ask Kuroko-kun?” Ryouta whines. “Why not me?” “Ki-chan, you are many things, but tactful is not one of them. You’ll probably insult Kuroko-kun with your wording, especially if they lost.” She pulls out her phone to send a message to Tetsuya, a simple, _Good evening, Kuroko-kun, I hope you are doing well. Ki-chan and I were wondering when your next game will be, since it’s the summer holidays soon, and we were thinking of coming to watch some of your games._ Ryouta reads the text over her shoulder, and pouts. “Ki-chan, that’s not very tactful either!” She shrugs, “Better than what you would’ve said.” Her phone chimes with an incoming message. _Good evening, Kitawara-san. Unfortunately Touou knocked us out in the preliminaries, so Seirin will not be participating in the Inter-High. However, Aomine-kun, Murasakibara-kun and Akashi-kun all made it to the Inter-High, so you are welcome to watch them play. I will be away at training camp for most of the Inter-High, so I probably won’t be watching._

“Aomine-kun knocked Seirin out of the preliminaries, and Midorima-kun is not participating, so I’m assuming Kuroko-kun was able to defeat Midorima-kun, at least.” She muses. Ryouta wrinkles his nose. “As much as I hate to admit it, Midorimacchi is probably the easiest out of the four of them. Seirin has their work cut out for them during the Winter Cup.” Kimiko hums in response as she pockets her phone. “No point worrying about what might happen. Let’s hurry up and get home. We’ve spent too much time ambling down this street as it is.”

\---------------------------------


	6. Exams and Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preliminaries end, Hachiro needs help, and Summer Camp. Half of the Miracles are reunited.

Soon after the prefectural preliminaries, they have their end-of-term exams, but they don’t lose sleep over studying like their fellow teammates do. Kimiko is strict with keeping up with her studies, and Ryouta doesn’t argue with her, because the sky is blue, the sun is bright, and Kise Ryouta doesn’t know how to say no to Kitawara Kimiko, so they don’t need to cram for their exams.

Instead, they put effort into helping Hachiro with his studies. Hachiro’s grades are a terror. It takes all of Hiroaki’s strength and effort to get Hachiro to pass, let alone score well, so Ryouta and Kimiko take on the task of co-tutoring Hachiro into getting semi-decent grades.

“So you see, when you want to differentiate x cubed plus three x squared minus five x minus 2, you need to bring down the powers, then minus one from each power. Terms without the x become zero. Understand?” Ryouta says, putting down his pen after explaining a math problem. Hachiro blinks at him, completely dazed.

“Tsukiyamacchi, please tell me you at least know basic differentiation.” Ryouta begs. Hachiro rubs the back of his head and laughs in embarrassment. “Uh, I thought I did, but I guess I don’t?”

This is going to be tough.

\---------------------------------

Kimiko tops the level in math and languages – nothing new – and Ryouta leaves everyone else in the dust for science and geography. Hiroaki places within the top 50, and Hachiro, by some miracle, places 130th out of 300 students, which is pretty good for him. They go right back to preparing for prefectural qualifiers. Coach Ukai makes them perform drill after drill, until Kimiko is sure she can do diving drills in her sleep. When he’s satisfied, he has them perform spikes and serves till their accuracy is as precise as it can get. All of this goes on for two weeks, until summer holidays start. Then they go for their annual summer camp.

As is the usual, Kaijou attends the summer camp with Shinzen High, Fukurodani Academy, Nekoma High, and Ubugawa High. Over the years, Kaijou has progressed from losing almost all their games to winning a good number, and they no longer do all the penalty drills, as Coach Ukai grouches, “The first summer camp, we lost all but three of our games. We were doing diving drills every thirty minutes.”

Kaijou is familiar with Shinzen and Ubugawa and it shows in how they are comfortable around them, and with Fukurodani and Nekoma, they have an easy-camaraderie-friendly-rivalry situation that stems from their first summer camp. The _senpai_ s joke and rib one another, and the managers naturally gravitate to one another, and even the coaches are seen discussing different plays and skills. “It’s a legacy left behind by the Hinata-senpai’s team during his first year,” Yukio explains, “The members from back then got along like a house on fire, so I’ve heard.”

By default, the new first years from the three schools end up making friends too. Ryouta and Kimiko become especially close to Kannazuki Iku and Minazuki Rui from Nekoma. The two of them come as a package deal. Iku is an energetic, cheerful boy who plays middle blocker, while Rui is his calmer and shyer setter, playing volleyball because Iku does. Their relationship mirrors Kimiko and Ryouta’s.

The summer camp passes uneventfully, and soon they have said their goodbyes and are heading for the next training camp – by the beach.

It is Yukio’s suggestion. “I heard it is good to train on uneven terrain like the beach and the mountains,” he says, “so I suggested to hold a training camp by the beach this year. If all goes well, it might become an annual thing.”

They spend the first half of the first day in the sand. After drills, Coach Ukai has them playing match after match. For the first couple of matches, they stumble a lot and end up face-down in the sand too many times to count, and receive too many balls with their faces when they miscalculate the effect of the sand on their jumps, but after they get used to the new terrain, they are able to play a few good matches before it becomes too hot and they move into the gym. There they finally see the effects of just half a day of training – their jumps are higher, smoother, more stable. They omit unnecessary steps, and their coordination is better, too. They end early for the day, since their day started earlier than usual, and go to sleep early, falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

The next morning, Kimiko and Ryouta wake up before the rest of the team. Kimiko, as the only girl, gets a room all to herself, but Ryouta has to share with the other first years, so he meets her at the door, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and pants. Kimiko herself is dressed in a light shirt and leggings, and she passes him a towel, which he hangs around his neck, and they go for a morning run. They definitely do not stop for a snack when they see the local Maji Burger, and they definitely do not return slurping happily on vanilla milkshakes.

The rest of the team is just rising as they get back, so they take the chance to quickly rinse down and change into a fresh set of training clothes. After breakfast, they go back out to the beach for more training, and there they get their first surprise.

A large group appear on the edge of the beach, heading for where they’re training. None of them notice, too focused on the match, until there someone calls out a friendly “Hello!”

All of them stop the match and turn to the newcomers, and Ryouta lets out a delighted shout of “Kurokocchi!” that has Kimiko instinctively grabbing for her best friend’s shirt collar. Just in time, too, because Ryouta makes to leap for Tetsuya in true Ryouta fashion. He struggles against her hold for a minute, before finally giving up and hanging limply from her grip. “Kuroko-kun, _ohayo._ When you said you were holding a summer camp, I never thought we’d meet you here.” Tetsuya nods at her. “ _Domo_ , Kitawara-san. Are you staying at the lodge nearby as well?” He says in his usual monotone voice. She sees Seirin start when she speaks, surprised that she managed to pick out Tetsuya so easily. As Seirin’s coach moves over to Takeda-sensei to discuss logistics, Coach Ukai barks at them to continue the match, and they return to receiving and spiking and setting.

They continue their match as Seirin starts their training, and Kimiko cannot help but watch the other school as they flounder and struggle through their first half a day of training. “Did we look like that yesterday?” she muses as she and Ryouta sit on the bench to let Hiroaki and Hachiro play. Coach Ukai, who is watching the match closely from his spot beside them, snorts. “Like fish out of water, the whole lot of you. They’ll be thankful for this training later.”

Terror strikes just before lunchtime, when Seirin’s coach, Riko, announces that she will be preparing Seirin’s lunch. Kimiko watches Seirin’s players blanch and tremble, and she deduces that Riko’s cooking is something to be avoided. Mentally taking note to ask about it later, she offers to cook for the other team, because “I’m already cooking for Kaijou, and cooking for Seirin won’t be a problem.”

She sees Riko hesitate, but she insists with a smile, “I really don’t mind! If you’re worried about the nutrients and calories, I can show you the list of what I’m cooking, but Kaijou already has four people on cooking duty, so having too many of us may make the kitchen a bit crowded.” Eventually, Riko agrees, and the players let out silent sighs of relief when her back is turned, so Kimiko knows she has made the right choice in offering.

She, Ryouta, Yukio and Shinji take over the lodge’s kitchen, whipping up a healthy and nutritious meal for athletes, while Riko and Coach Ukai discuss the logistics of having two sports teams in one area. Eventually, after lunch, Coach Ukai stands up and addresses the two teams. “Since it’s really only practical to train on the beach in the morning, we’ll be splitting the court in half for our afternoon trainings. In the evenings, we’ll alternate having our trainings in the gym, and the mornings will be beach training. Any questions?” they all shook their heads. “Good, so take a break to digest your food, and Kaijou, report to the gym in one hour to set up.”

Kimiko and Ryouta join Tetsuya in Seirin’s room, and Kimiko can no longer hold back her curiosity. “What’s so bad about your coach’s cooking?”

She’s shushed immediately by the other members in the room, and one member – Izuki? – mutters, “She doesn’t _know_ how to cook, and she sprinkles powdered protein supplements in our food. It’s terrible.” Kimiko’s face screws up at the thought of supplements in food, and she nods. “So in essence, the idea is to keep your coach away from the kitchen?” Resolute nods. She glances at Ryouta, who looks almost as disgusted as she is at the idea of Riko’s cooking, before turning to the rest of the room. “Kaijou has a cooking roster, so I will inform them to cook for both teams for the duration of your stay.” Relieved sighs sound throughout the room, and she grins.

Training with another sports team in the same gym is an experience, to say the least. The coaches have to raise their voices more to be heard over the sounds of squeaking shoes, and the players have to shout louder so they can be heard over the other team’s calls and cheers. By the end of the day, Kimiko’s throat is aching from hours of raising her voice louder than she’s used to.

Ryouta notices this, and she heads into the kitchen for a snack after her shower, he is sitting there with two cups of hot honey lemon tea and a pack of her favourite brand of lozenges. “Ki-chan, you are a lifesaver,” she mutters, taking a sip of the steaming drink before popping a tablet into her mouth. He laughs and ruffles her hair as he stands up and finishes his own cup, before heading for his shower.

\---------------------------------

The next morning, she and Ryouta return from their morning run to an interesting scene. By the sinks outside the bathrooms, Tetsuya, his teammate – Kagami? – are having a stare-off with Midorima and another male. She and Ryouta blink in confusion, before Ryouta releases a surprised shout of “Midorimacchi?!” that has Yukio throwing open the door. “Why are you being so loud in the morning, Kise?!”

He stops short when he sees the two unfamiliar faces. “I don’t remember you being on Seirin’s team.”

Midorima’s companion laughs brightly. “We’re not from Seirin! We’re from Shuutoku, and our school has a tradition of conducting a training camp here every year!”

A pause.

“WHAT?!”

\---------------------------------

 _This is such a cliché anime experience_. Kimiko thinks, as she watches the teams from Kaijou, Shuutoku and Seirin glare at each other in a three-way contest after breakfast. Outside, the coaches are discussing frantically, trying to accommodate not one, not two, but _three_ sports teams conducting training camps at the same time. The thought has her choking slightly trying to keep her laughs at bay, and she knows Ryouta would be giving her the side-eye right now if he wasn’t actively participating in the staring competition.

She doesn’t know how long she can keep in her laughter, so she tugs lightly on Yukio’s shirtsleeve and gestures for him to lean down so she can whisper in his ear. “ _Senpai_ , how long is this going to last? Mainly because I don’t know how long I can refrain from laughing, but also because we’re wasting time just staring at each other here.” Yukio glances at her bemusedly, but sees the point in her words, so he karate-chops Yoshitaka and Ryouta, the ones most invested in the staring competition, before clapping his hands together. “Okay, I don’t know about Seirin and Shuutoku, but I don’t see the point of us waiting here like sitting ducks while our coaches have their discussion. All of Kaijou, go out and start practice! We only have so much time on the beach, you know.”

At his words, the whole of Kaijou snaps out of their stupor and grab their discarded water bottles and towels. Kimiko drags Ryouta to the boys’ room, where the volleyballs are being kept, and helps him carry them out of the front door and to the beach, leaving behind two basketball teams gaping at their retreating backs.

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Kimiko nearly laughs out loud when the coaches announce the results of their discussion. Never has she been more thankful to play volleyball, because this means that they get the gym all to themselves. Shuutoku and Seirin will share the court in the afternoon and hold practice matches against each other, while Kaijou will take over the whole gym for themselves in the evening. This will mean that they will need to eat dinner early and will probably need to snack more after training, but it’s worth it to have the gym to themselves.

Just because they don’t have the gym doesn’t mean they won’t be able to practice in the afternoon. The lodge they are staying in has a large backyard, perfect for setting up a volleyball court and playing a few games. The lodge they are staying in keeps the yard fairly shady and cool, and the uneven, grassy ground is good for their training, so Kaijou has no complaints over the new schedule.

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After summer vacation, they go back to practicing in the gym and preparing for prefectural qualifiers. Kimiko practices her sets endlessly to make sure they are perfect, because she and the rest of the team knows that if Kaijou wants to have the element of surprise in qualifiers, she will be their best bet. It is with this expectation and thought that she practices setting to not only Ryouta, but Yoshitaka and Kouji and Mitsuhiro as well. She gets used to their throwing heights, their positioning, and they practice until they are completely in sync with each other.

Their modelling jobs increase as well. Since they spent a lot of time at training camps during the summer, they have many modelling jobs lined up back-to-back to compensate for time lost. She and Ryouta have almost no free time, rushing from practice shooting to practice and back home for dinner and studying.

Between modelling, practice and school, time passes by in a flash. In a blink of an eye, they are sitting for their mid-terms, and in another blink, they are standing in front of the Yokohama Gym once again, for the prefectural qualifiers.

They gather together at the entrance and collectively take a deep breath, before stepping into the gymnasium.

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	7. Qualifiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prefectural Qualifiers take place. Will Kaijou pull through and beat Shiratorizawa to represent Kanagawa?

The prefectural qualifiers are held over the course of two weeks, with a maximum of two games being held per day. Kaijou plays their first match on the second day against Ohgi Minami High, and they take the game set count 2:0. For the time being, Kimiko continues on as a wing spiker – they do not want to bring out their trump card too early.

Their second match is against Wakutani South High on the fifth day. Wakutani has acquired a new member since their participation in the preliminaries, and with their new addition, their team is quite strong. However, they also have less experience playing together, and the new member is not as in sync with his teammates as compared to Kaijou, who have been playing with and against one another for many more months. They take that game too, set count 2:0.

Their third match is when it starts to get interesting. It is the sixth day, and they are against Aoba Johsai High, more commonly known as Seijou, who are among the top four schools in Kanagawa. They are also a long-time rival of Kaijou’s, stemming from a rivalry between former members of both teams. Kimiko still plays as wing spiker for this game, but she does pull off a set, surprising players, referees, and audiences who have known her to be a spiker.

Kaijou took the first set, and they are in the midst of their second set. Takeshi receives Seijou’s serve but the ball is off, and Yukio is at the other end of the court, while Kimiko is right in position. With a quick confirmation with Coach Ukai and Yukio, she jumps, setting the ball to Yoshitaka, who spikes it across the net. The ball lands on Seijou’s court; the players were too surprised by the set from the player they knew to be a wing spiker. Kimiko accepts hair ruffles and head pats for a job well done before they continue the game. It is a close call, and they have a deuce and play until Seijou wins the set, 28-26.

Their third set is yet another close call, with yet another deuce. This one is shorter, and they play until Kaijou wins 26-24. They take the game, set count 2:1. In the court next door, Shiratorizawa, who has been exempted from the games until now thanks to their victory in the preliminaries, wins their match against Hachioji High with ease, and advance to the finals. Kaijou and Shiratorizawa’s rematch will be at the prefectural qualifiers.

They get a two-day break between their semi-finals and finals match, and Kimiko and Ryouta spend the two days doing light practice – Coach Ukai warned them against strenuous practice. “If you practice so hard and strain any muscle in your body, I will not hesitate to put _any_ of you on the bench.” He warned, before they parted ways after the semi-finals.

Two days later, they are standing outside the Yokohama gym, ready for their match against Shiratorizawa.

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As the two teams line up on either side of the net, she can hear the audience whispering, no doubt wondering who will take the top spot and advance to Nationals. Kaijou is without doubt a strong school that has gone to Nationals for the past 3 years, but Shiratorizawa is also a very strong school in its own right and had been the victors of the preliminaries, so this game is sure to be an interesting one.

Shiratorizawa and the audience start when they realise that Kaijou (to them) has decided not to send out any of their setters. Yukio and Kimiko will be alternating playing setter for this game – firstly to make sure that Shiratorizawa has a harder time figuring out a way to defend against Kimiko, and also to make sure their stamina does not run out. So when outsiders see Yukio waiting patiently at the side, evidently not playing this set, whispers start to get louder, because no one can figure out what Kaijou is trying to pull by not sending out a setter. Kimiko smirks to herself and takes up her position on the court.

Shiratorizawa’s captain serves the first ball and Takeshi receives it cleanly, sending it up into the air. Yoshitaka bumps the ball back up and towards her, and she makes eye contact with Ryouta for a split second before he is running. The ball touches her hands for a split second before it is in the air again and landing on the other side of the court, the ball barely touching Ryouta’s hands.

Immediately, the stands burst into chatter as the audience discuss the new developments. People who have been watching Kaijou for many years wonder if Kaijou has gained _another_ first-year freak duo, while those who are watching for the first time wonder _what in the world just happened?_ Shiratorizawa is shocked too, but Kimiko has to give them credit for recovering as quickly as they did and holding their own for the rest of the match. Kaijou still wins, 25-23.

Even though Yukio is the setter for the second set, and they use the same line-up as the one they used during the preliminaries, Shiratorizawa is still cautious, mostly because now Kaijou essentially has two setters on court at once. Cautious or not, they still take the second set, 31-29.

Yukio continues on as setter for the third set, and they take the set 25-23, with Hisayuki coming in as pinch server and switching positions with Kimiko halfway through. For the fourth set, Kimiko is setter once again, and they continue into a deuce that lasts until Shiratorizawa gets their win 21-19.

The fifth set is the most eventful. With two sets under their belt, each team plays their hardest to win the set. The rallies seem never-ending, and Yukio and Kimiko both constantly switch roles, until one could never be sure who was going to set and who was going to spike. They play past the 15-point mark, well into the 20-points, and eventually they reach match point again and again, neither team giving an inch.

Eventually, they are at match point again, 28-27 in Kaijou’s favour. Shiratorizawa serves the ball, and Takeshi receives it, sending it to Kimiko, who bumps it towards Yukio, who sets it towards Kouji to spike. Shiratorizawa’s libero receives it, sending it to their captain, who bumps it to their setter, who sets it to one of their wing spikers. Kouji and Ryouta block the ball, and Shiratorizawa’s libero dives to receive it, sending it up once again.

Bump, set, spike, repeat. The sequence repeats again and again, both teams desperately keeping the ball in the air and preventing it from falling onto their side of the court. Bump, set, spike, repeat. Kimiko attempts a setter dump, but Shiratorizawa’s libero is crazy good and he receives it, sending it up into the air again. Bump, set, spike, repeat. The audience are holding their breaths as the ball goes back and forth over the net, eyes following each movement. Who will be the first to give? Which team will make it to Nationals?

The rally ends in an almost anti-climactic way. Takeshi receives it, sending it to Ryouta, who bumps it to Yukio. Yukio sets it to Kouji, and he seemingly gathers all his strength to smash it through Shiratorizawa’s block, only to lightly tap it over the block at the last minute. A feint. The ball falls as if in slow motion as three members of Shiratorizawa dive for the ball, missing it by a scant few centimetres. The ball bounces once, twice.

Kimiko blinks as it finally registers in her mind that _they have won. They are going to nationals._ Cheers ring out from the stands, but Kimiko pays them no mind, because she is too busy jumping on Ryouta’s back in a rare show of public affection, and he holds on to her tightly as he spins around, laughing. Their team gathers in a big group hug, and Kimiko relishes in the joy and tears surrounding her. _This,_ this is what a team should feel like. One who celebrates every single win, no matter how easy or how difficult, and has a bond between each and every member.

She remembers Teikou, and the Generation of Miracles, and how they took each win with bored eyes and self-assuredness that _of course we won_ and did not accept defeat in any form. How they were just different people forced together to become the strongest group, and became a team, but not for long.

She is thankful Ryouta managed to see that, and even more thankful he did not succumb to the darkness that their success brought. Even as they shake hands with Shiratorizawa and receive their medals, she does not come down from the victory-induced high that their win has brought her. She only comes back down to earth when Ryouta wraps a sweaty arm around her shoulders and laughs, chattering a mile a minute about the plays they executed in the game. He chatters all the way back to school, where the students and teachers have set up a banner congratulating them on their win and congratulate them on their victory.

The volleyball club is given time to shower, but after lunch they are back in school for lessons, because Kaijou, like all other schools, places just as much importance on academics as clubs, and victory or not, the Kaijou volleyball club are just students, and thus they must attend classes to the best of their ability.

(Kimiko, for once, does not say anything when Ryouta dozes off in class.)

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End file.
